Residence Permit for the Purpose of Job-searching or Entrepreneurship – What comes after that?


Envisaging your Hungarian stay after the termination of the residence permit for the purpose of job-searching or entrepreneurship

Looking for a job as a graduate student is never easy, and it is definitely difficult in a foreign country. Sometimes it takes months to find a suitable workplace. You can survive this period with the Residence Permit for the Purpose of Job-searching or Entrepreneurship. However, this residence permit is valid for only 9 months (it is the longest validity period) and may not be extended. Hopefully, the college freshman has found a job during this nine-month period. If this is the case she/he has to switch to another type of residence permit, this is the Residence Permit for the Purpose of Employment, which is the most general type of residence permit for Third-country Nationals intending to work in Hungary.

There is another but a less popular option for job seekers, the EU Blue Card. On a general basis, it is issued for a period between one-four years for highly-qualified Third-country Nationals. Although the EU Blue Card is less popular than the Residence Permit for the Purpose of Employment because of the more complicated application process, it has a huge advantage: The employee can change her/his Hungarian employer after two years by keeping the same EU Blue Card. Changing a Hungarian employer can be made only one time without applying for another residence permit or EU Blue Card.

Another option could be the private entrepreneur route. If you were not able to set up a company during the aforementioned nine months but you have a valid and viable business idea you can still try it as a private entrepreneur. As a Private Entrepreneur, a Residence Permit for the pursuit of Gainful Activity has to be obtained for you (on a general basis). This type of residence permit is applicable only if you do not intend to be employed by a Hungarian Employer.

We hope that you could find useful information from the above. For more details, please check the mentioned residence permit types at our website:

Nov 23 2020